Originally posted by Dr_simon
I don?t know that the plan revolves around seizing oil wells so much as installing a sympathetic government willing to sell oil to all its friends at, shall we say, a preferential rate. Then everyone who bought cheep oil can then sell at a vast profit and become even more fat and rich than before and by that 3rd mansion they had always wanted.

Oil prices are based on the world market; the more oil their is on the market, the less [u]everybody[/u] pays no matter who's selling it. I'm pretty sure the Russian deal means they get to refine it and then sell it themselves. A different regime in Iraq could mean somebody else refines the oil and that could cost Russia some much needed jobs.